Ben Smith

Ben Smith has been a vital cog of Central Districts since making his debut as a 20-year-old in 2011. The right-hand batsman and occasional 'keeper is a consistent performer in the longer format of the game.

It was a memorable debut for Smith against Wellington, scoring twin fifties and helping his team secure a draw. The middle order batsman has based his game on grit and determination rather than power. He is the grafter for Central Districts around which the other batsmen revolve.

In 2015, Ben Smith missed the club record highest individual score by three runs. The right-hander scored a magnificent 244 against Otago in the Plunket Shield, three short of Peter Ingram's 247. Interestingly, Smith scored his maiden double ton with team-mate and New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor's bat. The story behind that is Smith tagged along with Taylor during a visit to Trinity Hill winery a week before the game and that is when he gave the youngster his willow. The New Zealand batsman also promised wine bottles if he scored 150, Smith did better and Taylor presented him with three magnums of wine.

The seasons after that have been mediocre to say the least. Smith has failed to emulate the 2015/16 Plunket Shield where he was the second highest run-getter with close to 1000 runs, just behind Bharat Popli. Coming to the shorter formats, Smith is yet to do anything noticeable, averages around 30 in List A and the strike rate in T20 is just over 100.